Published 12:00 IST, February 18th 2020
Winning an almighty honour for India, here's Sachin Tendulkar's 'Laureus 20' dedication
Tendulkar's victory lap around the Wankhede Stadium on the shoulders of his teammates after the World Cup triumph at home in 2011 has won an almighty honour
Sachin Tendulkar thanked his fans and his well-wishers after winning the Laureus Sporting Moment Award of the last twenty years. Tendulkar's victory lap around the Wankhede Stadium on the shoulders of his teammates after the World Cup triumph at home in 2011 was voted the Laureus best sporting moment in the last 20 years on Monday - beating out some incredible achievements in the world of sports.
Best moment of the last twenty years
In a tweet on Monday morning, Tendulkar thanked all his well-wishers for the messages and the support and also dedicated the award to his teammates, and fans.
The Mumbai born player was awarded on Monday evening in a glamorous ceremony in Berlin. After winning the award, he said, "It's incredible. The feeling of winning the world cup was beyond what words can express. How many times you get an event happening where there are no mixed opinions. Very rarely the entire country celebrates. And this is a reminder of how powerful a sport is and what magic it does to our lives. Even now when I watch that it has stayed with me. My journey started in 1983 when I was 10 years old. India had won the World Cup. I did not understand the significance and just because everybody was celebrating, I also joined the party. But somewhere I knew something special has happened to the country and I wanted to experience it one day and that's how my journey began. It was the proudest moment of my life, holding that trophy which I chased for 22 years but I never lost hope. I was merely lifting that trophy on behalf of my countrymen."
Former Australian skipper Steve Waugh handed the trophy to Tendulkar after tennis legend Boris Becker announced the winner at a glittering ceremony. Becker then asked Tendulkar to share the emotions he felt at that time and the Indian legend put in perspective how important it was for him to hold that trophy.
The Laureus Sporting Moment Award celebrates the moments where the sport has unified people in the most extraordinary way. This campaign had shortlisted 20 sporting stories from the last 20 years that have left their mark on the world.
Simone Biles was voted as the Laureus World Sportswoman of the Year, whereas Lewis Hamilton and Lionel Messi were jointly awarded as the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year.
Updated 12:00 IST, February 18th 2020